Dan Powell

Background

About Dan Powell

Dan Powell is a New York City-based audio engineer, sound designer and composer who often works within the niche of podcasting. From chart-topping news programs to innovative fiction works, he has played a key role in shaping the sound of some of the most listened-to and influential podcasts in the world. Dan’s current role at The New York Times involves supervising nearly all original music composition for the paper’s ever-growing collection of audio programs, including The Daily, The Headlines, Modern Love, Hard Fork, Cannonball with Wesley Morris, and more. Much of the music composed by Dan and his team is heard by millions of listeners on a weekly basis. Outside of his work at NYT, Dan is a prolific collaborator on other audio projects. He is the co-creator, sound designer and sometimes star of Archive 81, a hit fiction podcast which was adapted into a limited series that topped the Netflix charts. He has contributed music, sound design and mixing to many other shows, and his independent clients have included numerous major brands and media companies. Prior to entering the podcast world, Dan started his audio career at Soundsnap, one of the world’s largest commercial sound libraries, where he was in charge of curating their expansive catalog of sound effects and field recordings from around the world. He credits the experience with helping to develop his critical listening skills, as he was often tasked with listening to hundreds of sounds per day and building relationships with the brilliant designers and recordists who created them. While Dan holds no formal degree in neither audio engineering nor music, he regularly relies upon his trusty English B.A. to help him to navigate the complex conversations that often emerge when working in creative environments. During the rare moments he is not working in his home studio, Dan enjoys sunlight, exercise, and live music of all varieties. He is currently working on an autobiographical project about the lineage of musical talent in his family, with a focus on his great uncle, the composer Walter Auschaffenburg.